Air conditioning for railway cars



Jan. 9, 1934. w. FQKIESEL, JR

AIR CONDITIONING FOR RAIIIWAY CAR'S Filed Nov. 12, 1931 '7 Sheets-Sheet l INVEN TOR:

Jan. 9, 193. w. F. KIESEL, JR

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AIR CONDITIONING FOR RAILWAY CARS Filed Nov. 12, 1931 '7 Shegts-Sheet 7.

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A TTORN E YS Patented Jan. 9 1934 UNITED STATE ,eiai

1,943,121 AIR CONDITIONING FOR. RAILWAY CARS William F. Kiesel, .Ir., Hollidaysburg, Pa.

Application November 12, 1931 Serial No. 574,512

13 Claims.

This invention relates to the air conditioning of railway cars and the like, to render them more comfortable in hot weather, it being a principal aim of the invention to provide a comparatively simple and efiective system for this purpose. Various advantages that can be realized through the invention will appear from the description hereinafter of one preferred-embodiment as applied to a dining car.

In the drawings, Fig. I is a fragmentary view showing a vertical longitudinal section through the body of a dining car conveniently embodying the invention, taken as indicated by the line and arrows 1-1 in Fig. II.

Fig. II is a fragmentary plan view of the dining car, with certain parts in horizontal section.

Figs. III, IV and V are fragmentary views, mainly in vertical section, illustrating the air circulation,-all taken as indicated by the corre-- spondingly-numbered lines and arrows in Fig. II.

Fig. VI is a diagrammatic perspective view illustrating a water circulation system.

Fig. VII is a somewhat diagrammatic view, mainly in horizontal section, illustrating the air circulation for cooling.

Fig. VIII is an end view of an ice chamber and associated parts, with part of the car body and its longitudinal sill in cross-section as indicated by the line and arrows VIII-VIII in Fig. I.

Fig. IX shows a transverse section through the ice chamber and associated parts, taken as indicated by the line and arrows IX-IX in Fig. I.

Fig. X shows a transverse section through the ice chamber and its supply chutes, taken as indicated by the line and arrows XX in Fig. I; and,

Fig. X1 is a fragmentary horizontal section.

illustrating the construction of the car walls.

The drawings show a dining car (body) of ordinary type (Figs. I and II), with kitchen and pantry 14 at one end, and corridor 15 alongside them, and with passage or hall 17 at the other end. As shown, self-closing swing doors 18, 19 are provided in the corridor 15 and hall 17, in addition to the usual vestibule doors (not shown), to retain the cool air in the car and minimize entrance of warm air when passengers enter or leave the car. As shown in Fig. III, the car walls (including both roof 21 and floor 22) are thermo-insulated with hairfelt 23. In addition, the inner walls (again including both ceiling 24 and inner floor 25) are backed with acoustic felt which aifords thermal insulation and also minimizes the penetration of outside noise.

The temperature in the car is reduced and controlled by absorbing heat from the air. The ultimate heat-absorbing agency is shown (Fig. I) as consisting of blocks of ice in a 'thermo-insulated longitudinal chamber or ice-box 31 underneath the floor of the car (body). However, it is preferred to transfer the heat of the air to the ice 30 indirectly, by means of a fluid medium (water) circulating in contact with the ice and with (through) radiators 33 with which the air in the car comes in contact. As shown (Figs. 11, VI and VII), a series of the radiators 33 (resembling ordinary automobile radiators) are arranged in longitudinal air chambers or passages 34, 34 beneath the car, at either side of the ice chamber 31, and the air from its interior is circulated downward and through said passages 34 and radiators 33, and up into the car again.

For this purpose, there are upright ducts 36 in the side walls of the car connected to longitudinal conduits 37, 37 in or beneath the car floor at their lower ends, and having grilled openings 38 into the interior of the car at their upper ends. Each conduit 37 has a conduit connection 39 to one end of the corresponding air chamber or passage 34. In the top or upper deck of the car are longitudinal ducts 41,- 41 at either side, with openings 42 downward into the interior of the car. The ducts 41 are connected through a transverse chamber 43 in the top of the car to an upright duct 44 just in front of the pantry 14, and the lower end of this duct 44 is connected by conduits 45 to the opposite ends of the passages 34 from the conduits 39. As shown by the arrows, the warm air from the interior of the car may be drawn in through the grilled openings 38, descend in the ducts 36, and traverse the passages 34, 34 and radiators 33, where it is cooled. The cool air may then ascend in the duct 44, traverse the ducts 41, 41, and re-enter the car through the openings 42. For circulating the air, there are shown rotary fans or blowers 46, 46 mounted in a double housing 47 in the chamber 43 and driven by an (electric) motor 48 and delivering into the ducts 41, 41.

As shown in Figs. 11 and IV, there are air intakes 49 connected to the ends of the chamber 43, for admitting fresh outside air to mingle with that from the radiators 33 on its way back. into the car. They are provided with strainers 50 (consisting for example, of layers of hair between wire screens) and with dampers 51 for cleaning and controlling the air taken in.

As shown in Fig. VI, the series of radiators 33 in each of the passages 34 are connected in parallel between water supply and discharge pipes 52, 53. The supply pipes 52, 52 are intercon- Ill) nected by a transverse pipe 54, which is in turn connected by pipes 55,56 to one end of the ice chamber 31. The discharge pipes 53, 53 are connected laterally to the ice chamber 31 near its opposite end. For circulating the water, there is shown a (centrifugal) pump 5'7. driven by an (electric) motor 58; it draws water from one end of the ice chamber 31 through the pipe 55, and delivers the water through the pipe 56 to the pipes 52, to pass through the radiators 33 and return to the other end of the ice chamber 31 through the pipes 53, 53. A strainer 60 is shown interposed in the pipe 55, for removing sediment and dirt usually in ice. Hand valves 61, 62, 63 are shown in the pipes 52, 55, 56, for controlling the water circulation. Outlets 64, 64 from the pipes 53, 53, controlled by hand valves 65, 65 afford a means of regulating the depth of water in the chamber 31 as the ice 30 melts, and alsoof draining the system of water when desired. Preferably, a depth of water of about 10 to 10% in. is maintained in the chamber 31.

As shown in Figs. I, VI, VIII and IX the icechamber 31 consisting of an oblong rectangular sheet metal tank, is enclosed in an outer sheet metal casing 71, and the interspace is filled with hairfelt 72 for heat insulation. In the region of the air chambers 34, 34, the outer casing 71 is enlarged to include them. As shown in Fig. IX, they are constructed of sheetmetal, as lateral additions built on to the sides of the tank 31, and are just large enough to accommodate the radiators 33. As shown in Figs. VIII, IX and X, the whole structure 71 is supported from the ion-- gitudinal center-sill 73 of the car body, by means of hanger frames 74 and clips 75 secured to the sill flanges 76.

For charging the ice chamber 31, there are lateral ice-chutes 77 (Figs. I, II and X) sloping upward to the car sides, and of thermo-insulated double walled construction similar to that of the chamber 31 itself. These charging chutes '77 have self-closing thermo-insulated swing doors '18, pivotally hung or hinged at their upper edges at 79, adapted to seat lightly against stops 81. They open inward and upward into pockets 82 in the upper walls of the chutes 77, so as to allow cakes of ice 30 to be pushed past them easily.

On an ordinary dining car, an ice box 31 to take twelve standard 200 lb. cakes of ice (11 by 22 by 31 in.) at once can easily be installed, without materially interfering with proper installation of other accessories under the car. On thus charging the box 31, enough water is added to float the ice; but the depth is never allowed-to exceed 10% inches materially. Such a system thus charged will readily keep the air in the car about 12 F. below that outside.

Preferably, the outer windows in the dining room are permanently sealed (Fig. XI) with angles 83 and felt strips: 34, to prevent air leakage. The usual exhaust ventilators over the dining room are omitted or sealed up; but exhaust ventilators and fans in the kitchen may be retained and used as usual. 4

Having thus described my invention, I claim: 1. The combination with a railway car of means for cooling the air therein including an ice chamber and radiators outside of and adjacent the same, all thermoinsulatively housed in a common casing beneath the car, and means for the circulation of air from the interior of the car through said casing, in contact with said radiators, and back into the car.

2. The combination with a railway car of means for cooling the air therein including an ice chamber, longitudinal air passages for air from the car flanking said ice chamber at either side, radiators in said passages cooled from the ice in said chamber, and a common casing beneath the car thermoinsulatively enclosing said ice chamber and passages.

3. The combination with a railway car of an ice chamber therebeneath, radiators external to said ice chamber adjacent the same beneath the car, and means for circulating a fluid in contact with the ice in said chamber and through said radiators, and means for the circulation of air from the interior of the car in contact with said radiators, and back into the car.

4. The combination with a railway car and its subjacent sill, of means for cooling the air in the car including a longitudinal ice chamber beneath said sill, and a charging chute sloping upward from and above said chamber substantially to the car side, and thus virtually preventing loss of water from said chamber in charging except as made to overflow by displacement by the ice charges.

5. The combination with a railway car and its subjacent longitudinal sill, of a longitudinal ice chamber beneath said sill; ice chutes extending from said chamber substantially to the car side, radiators external to said ice chamber adjacent the same beneath the car, means for circulatinga fluid in contact with the ice in said chamber and through said radiators, and means for the circulation of air from the interior of the car in contact with said radiators, and back into the car.

6. The combination with a railway car of an ice chamber and radiators therebeneath outside said ice chamber, means for circulating a fluid in contact with the ice in said chamber and through said radiators, and means for circulating air from the interior of the car in contact with said radiators and back into the car.

7. The combination with a railway car of a longitudinal ice chamber therebeneath, longitudinal airpassages beneath the car at either side of said ice chamber, radiators in said air passages and means for circulating a fluid in contact with the ice in said ice chamber and through said radiators, ducts in the side walls of the car opening into its interior and communicating with said passages, ducts in the top of the car opening into its interior and connected to said passages, and means for circulating air from the interior of the car through said ducts and passages and back into the car.

8. The combination with a railway car having a subjacent longitudinal sill with outturned bottom flanges, of means for cooling the air in the car including a longitudinal ice chamber beneath said sill provided with supporting clips engaged over said flanges and thus suspending the ice chamber from them.

9. The combination with a railway car of an ice chamber therebeneath, an air passage beneath the car external 'to said ice chamber, for the circulation of air from and back into the interior of the car, and radiators in said air passage and means for circulating a fluid in contact with the ice in said chamber and through said radiators.

10. The combination with a railway car of means for cooling the air therein including an ice chamber, longitudinal air passages for air from and back into the car flanking said. ice

chamber at either side, and eaters in said pes= sages cooled from the ice in said chhei'u 11. The combination with a railway cat oi an ice chamber therebeneath, air passages eath the car ateither side of said ice chamber, fox the circulation of air from and back into the interior of the car, and radiators in said air passages and means for circulating a fluid in contact with the ice in said ice chamber and through said radi= ators.

12. The combination with a railway car of an ice chamber therebeneath, longitudinal air passages beneath the car at either side of said ice chamber, radiators in said lateral air passages and means for circulating a fluid in contact with the ice in said chamber and through ators in each air passe, and/m for circulating air from each side of the cat: ;z th correspon lateral air p d hack into the can 13. The combination with a railway can" of a longitudinal ice chher thereheneath, air passages beneath the car fl t-1. said ice at eitherside for paint oi its length, for the circue lation of air from and hack into the interior of the car, radiators in said air passages and means for circuiating a fluid in contact with the ice in said ice chamber andthrough said. radiators, and ice chutes extending from a part of said ice chamber not flanked by said air passages substantially to the cal". sidw.

chamber 

